Jihaad Campbell takes a moment to soak in 1st NFL action

Jihaad Campbell takes a moment to soak in 1st NFL action originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Jihaad Campbell said he wasn't really nervous on Thursday night before his first NFL preseason game.

But he did take a moment to soak it all in.

Definitely," Campbell said. When I went out there for pregame stretch and just walking around the field, just doing some drills and just visualizing the fans and just me making plays out there on the field. It was great."

It's not hard to see those visions coming true - of fans cheering for Campbell at the Linc and Campbell making plays for the Eagles in 2025. The athletic first-round pick has a chance to make an impact as a rookie.

After the Eagles' 34-27 win over the Bengals, the 21-year-old Campbell said that visualization is something he does often.

I got a routine," he said. I really take in the moment and just always appreciate God and what he has in store for me."

While Campbell finished off his high school career at IMG Academy before attending Alabama, he's a South Jersey native and former Timber Creek High School student. So it was special when he was drafted by the Eagles.

And it was special for him to take that field for the first time on Thursday night.

It felt really great just going out there and running out the tunnel," Campbell said. It felt amazing just to see what it's going to be like for the year to come."

He didn't start the game and he didn't play a ton of snaps but it was an encouraging NFL preseason debut for Campbell. As Nakobe Dean remains on the PUP list, Campbell has a really good opportunity to earn a starting job next to Zack Baun in the Eagles' defense. He first needs to beat out Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon for that position.

Campbell showed off some of his ability on Thursday night. He played 15 total snaps - seven of those snaps were in coverage and he rushed on another, according to PFF.

.@Eagles@RealJihaadC played 15 plays last night. So good with his hands, keeping OL off of his body. Attacked everything that moves. ooooooh how he would have loved the INT!!! #FlyEaglesFly#BaldysBreakdownspic.twitter.com/JTPgM8LSMm

- Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 8, 2025

It wasn't all perfect. Campbell did get called for illegal use of hands and the interception he dropped will probably haunt him for a few days. Plenty of his teammates were eager to give him grief when he got to the sideline.

Just gotta take better advantage of my opportunities," he said.

But there should be plenty more chances in his future, which looks very bright. Campbell on Thursday night played with physicality and finished with three tackles and that near-pick.

Throughout training camp, Campbell has flashed his athleticism, physicality and aggressiveness, so it was good to see him use it against a different team on Thursday night.

He's growing and he's doing a good job," head coach Nick Sirianni said. Obviously, he's highly athletic and can do a lot of different things and I see him getting better every day."

As Campbell spoke to reporters by his locker on Thursday night, Baun attentively listened from the next locker stall. There's a chance those two could form one heck of a linebacker duo in 2025.

And then there's a ton of depth with the eventual return of Dean, not to mention Trotter and Mondon. The Eagles are suddenly flush with linebackers.

But on Thursday night, there was specifically a ton of excitement about the No. 31 pick as he took the field for his first NFL game.

It felt great just to really grasp the moment, be where my feet are," Campbell said. Just enjoy the moment with all the fans, with this great brotherhood we have in this locker room. I'm really excited to keep reaching our goals, step by step, day by day."